Several incidents over the last few days have officials at Yellowstone National Park stressing the need for visitors to follow the rules and stay safe.
There was a close encounter between a bull elk and a tourist at Mammoth Hot Springs on Sunday. In the video, a pair of tourists were suddenly rushed by an elk and only narrowly escaped. In the distance you can see other visitors scramble for safety as the elk circles back toward the other side of a field near the Mammoth Restaurant.
Park rules – which are displayed prominently – emphasize that people should stay 25 yards away from all large animals, including bison, elk, bighorn sheep, deer, moose, and coyotes; and at least 100 yards away from bears and wolves. If need be, park officials say you should turn around and go the other way to avoid interacting with a wild animal in close proximity.
On Sunday, video was shared showing a man walking on Old Faithful geyser, ignoring warnings from park officials and tourists. New video and pictures show what many believe to be the same man on yet another natural feature of the park.
Kelly Kosciuk was visiting the park with her family on Friday when she shot video of the man near Beryl Spring, heading south from Mammoth Hot Springs, about 40 miles from Old Faithful. Kosciuk says everyone around her, including family members and visitors, were yelling at him to get out. In the first incident, the man can be seen standing close to the center of the geyser, and lays down at one point.
Ashley Lemanski, who shot the first video, said everyone was absolutely terrified as they didn’t know if the man as going to jump in or not; everyone just stood in shock watching him. Lemanski says she saw the man being handcuffed and put in the back of an suv.
Yellowstone National Park said on Monday afternoon that the man has been charged with several violations, including being off-trail in a thermal area.
The incident was captured on webcams, and park officials are continuing to investigate. The man, whose name has not yet been released, was released on bond.
“We take these cases very seriously,” said Yellowstone National Park superintendent Dan Wenk, “The law requires people to stay on boardwalks or marked trails in thermal areas. Anyone who ignores this law risks their life and possibly the lives of emergency personnel.”
The Yellowstone website states: “Stay on boardwalks and trails in thermal areas. Hot springs have injured or killed more people in Yellowstone than any other natural feature. ”
Several other incidents have grabbed attention recently in Yellowstone National Park.
Raymond Reinke was sentenced to 130 days in jail after he was caught on video taunting a bison in August. An elk knocked down a visitor who was standing alongside the road on September 14.
